Culprit Doesn't Feel The Holiday Love

After Culprit's van & trailer was illegally towed and impounded by a known shady towing company, the band was forced to cancel three dates of the Heroes & Villains tour and pay nearly $1000 to get their van back. You can read a full statement here, and the band is accepting donations here.

We did get the cops involved, immediately. But, because it is a civil matter & not a criminal matter, they can't do anything. The towing company is an illegally-operated business with no business registration listed with the Oregon Secretary of State & no Department of Transportation permits... The business was dissolved and has been INACTIVE as a business since April 2011.

Basically, our van was illegally stolen & held for ransom at $938 ... fees that don't match up or exceed the max legal limit per fee according to state law.

If it's an illegally operated business wouldn't that make it a criminal matter because at that point it is theft?

That's what we thought but apparently they have a time window to present their registration before any action is taken against them. It's all a gigantic mess. Thanks to absolutepunk for posting about this and getting the word out...we hate to have to be "those guys" asking for help but we honestly have no choice. We're stuck.

That's what we thought but apparently they have a time window to present their registration before any action is taken against them. It's all a gigantic mess. Thanks to absolutepunk for posting about this and getting the word out...we hate to have to be "those guys" asking for help but we honestly have no choice. We're stuck.

I think you guys are getting bad legal advice ... this makes no sense at all. Call a lawyer, you can get someone to look at this for less than the $1,000 they're asking for to get the van back.